EXCLUSIVE: Emmy winner Julianna Margulies says she is “horrified” by the reaction to a series of statements she had made about Black and LGBTQ Americans, largely college students. “I am horrified by the fact that statements I made on a recent podcast offended the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, communities I truly love and respect,” Margulies said in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “I want to be 100% clear: Racism, homophobia, sexism, or any prejudice against anyone’s personal beliefs or identity are abhorrent to me, full stop.
Throughout my career I have worked tirelessly to combat hate of all kind, end antisemitism, speak out against terrorist groups like Hamas, and forge a united front against discrimination.
I did not intend for my words to sow further division, for which I am sincerely apologetic.” Margulies, who is Jewish, made the controversial comments on The Back Room with Andy Ostroy podcast where she railed against support for Palestine.
The statements drew major backlash Thursday after audio clips from the interview were posted on X/Twitter. At one point, Ostroy commented that “people hate Jews,” then briefly talked about the pervasiveness of antisemitism in the U.S., and suggested there’s more of an uproar over using “the wrong pronouns on college campuses.” “Oh my god, forget it,” Margulies replied. “It’s those kids who are spewing this antisemitic hate that have no idea if they stepped foot in an Islamic country—these people who want us to call them they/them, or whatever they want us to call them… it’s those people that will be the first people beheaded and their heads played with like a soccer ball, like a soccer ball on the field.